Josh Cyganik, a railroad track inspector, was walking to work when he overheard a couple of young adults humiliating an older gentleman and making nasty jokes about him and his home. What the man did next moved everyone…
It was another sunny morning in Oregon, USA. Josh was in no hurry while he walked to work, as he always left early to take advantage of the mild morning sun. The neighborhood he walked through was old but had recently undergone a “modernization” process, or what others call gentrification. The housing development, made by one of the largest construction companies in the country, had a bold design and proved to be a great success, quickly attracting the interest of new residents who moved into sophisticated, brand-new houses. As he turned a corner, Josh noticed a couple standing practically in the middle of the street. They were both very well-dressed and appeared no more than 30 years old. As he approached, Josh noticed that they were laughing and thought at first that they were two people in love, but he couldn’t help overhearing the absurd things the couple was saying.
“Grandpa, YOUR TIME HERE HAS ENDED. GO AWAY!” said the woman to an elderly man sitting in an old easy chair on his porch. As Josh observed the scene, he noticed the gray-haired man’s residence. It was a simple house, practically in ruins, and that’s when he realized that they were actually making fun of the place and humiliating the poor older man.
Josh decided to get closer and try to better understand the situation. “Look at the houses around you, Grandpa; you can’t possibly be blind to the difference. We have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in our homes for heated floors, jacuzzis, and wine cellars. But this dump you live in, that looks even older than you somehow, is devaluing the whole neighborhood, besides attracting rats and other pests!” said the young woman. Before Josh could intervene, the couple got into their BMW and drove away.
The older gentleman sat still, unresponsive, looking sad and thoughtful. The house was on a small plot of land surrounded by a dilapidated, broken fence with giant holes. The paint job was terrible, peeling off the walls. Most of the windows were broken and covered with pieces of wood. The yard was also a huge mess, with cans, garbage bags, and other items scattered about. It was clear that nobody had cared for that house in decades.
In a future interview, the railroad inspector said that he knew it was his mission to help that man fix up his home. Seeing Josh approaching, the man quickly entered the house and shut the door. He seemed to be nervous or even afraid. It made sense to Josh, as he was a total stranger and the man didn’t know his real intentions, but he decided to try his luck and talk to him.
He knocked on the old wooden door, and there was no response, as he expected. But the young man would not give up so quickly, and after a few more knocks, the older man opened the door with a sad and downcast look. Seeing Josh in his work uniform, the older man immediately thought he was part of another big construction company that had been bugging him to move for a long time. They were champing at the bit to demolish his house to make way for yet another luxury mansion.
Josh introduced himself, saying he often passed by his house as he walked to work and had often thought about seeing if he needed any help taking care of the house. The older man invited him in, despite his doubts about Josh’s real intentions. But no one had visited him for so many years that, amid so much loneliness, he decided to take his chances with the younger man who appeared harmless enough.
He also introduced himself as Leonard Bullock; he was 75 years old and had lived in that same house his whole life. As the conversation continued, Josh learned about Leonard’s sad story and how he ended up in his current situation.
It turns out that he had lived in that neighborhood his entire life, watching the houses around him being demolished to make way for much larger and more modern ones, seeing the children growing into adults. After living for so many decades in just one place, Leonard witnessed everything possible, including the recent harassment from his new neighbors.
But, he told his younger guest that it wasn’t always like this, that people on the street respected him immensely due to his life story and for the cordial and helpful manner in which he always welcomed neighbors arriving in the neighborhood over the decades.
He and his wife were some of the area’s first residents; those who came later considered him a leader of the community, a position that he didn’t make the slightest effort to boast of, constantly dismissing the idea in a gentle and friendly way.
The situation may not be good today, but it wasn’t always like that… He always had a good job and a loving wife. And, like many others, he dreamed of retiring and spending his free time with his grandchildren, acquiring new hobbies, and even traveling and seeing the world! “When I bought this land and moved here, there was nothing around but bushes and dirt. So with a lot of effort and joy, we built this house with our own hands, designing every square inch with my late wife,” said the elderly man.
But unfortunately, after years of trying to have children, medical tests showed that they would never be able to have their own children. The realization shook and disappointed them both, especially his wife, who had always dreamt of being a mother. At the time, the couple tried to carry on as usual, but they knew their lives would never be the same after that hard news. After Leonard retired, his wife became extremely ill, and they spent all their life savings on her treatment, which postponed, but did not avoid the inevitable. His wife passed away and took Leonard’s joy for life with her.
Having learned about his friend’s misfortunes and the reasons behind it all, Josh remembered the ridiculous neighbors who had been spouting those terrible things about the old house and felt heartbroken. Then, realizing that no one else was going to help Leonard, he swore to himself that he would find a way to bring attention to his situation.
Back home, Josh spent all night thinking about how to help his new friend. He knew he couldn’t leave the pensioner in that situation. But, even if he had to do it all by himself, he would still try! The first thing that came to his mind was to do some basic repairs. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to turn the house into a luxurious mansion like its neighbors, but he could certainly make it more livable. Thinking a little more, however, he realized that he would not be able to do this alone, neither financially nor physically…
Seeing that he needed help, Josh posted a call for volunteers on his Facebook page. He also called a building supply store and told them about what he had witnessed earlier at the older man’s home, asking if it would be possible for them to donate a few cans of paint to spruce up the place. The store owners were touched by the trail inspector’s attitude and said they would pitch in and help.
Josh didn’t think that his post would yield any results; he posted it for his friends to see and thought maybe one or two would show up to help him. His post read: “So, I was on my way to work and overheard a couple of neighbors making fun of an older man named Leonard and his house. Talking to him, I learned that his life has not been easy, and he cannot care for his house like he used to. So, I am asking if anyone wants to help this Saturday to volunteer with me to paint the retiree’s house, do some repairs and clean up his yard.”
When the long-awaited day arrived, Josh woke up early to run some final errands to prepare for the day. He put on his clothes, ate a hearty breakfast, and went straight to the building supply store. He spoke personally with the owner, whom he had previously spoken with on the phone, and picked up three cans of paint, which should be enough outside Leonard’s house. Josh put all the items in the trunk of his car and couldn’t wait for the work to begin; he had barely slept the night before because he was so anxious. And the truth was that, deep down, he was afraid. After all, he had not even told Leonard what he would be doing, and arriving at his house with the cans of paint already in hand could frighten the old guy and cause him to react in a less-than-pleasant way.
He also doubted anyone else would respond to his call for help online. He had personally called many of his closest friends and asked if anyone would help, but they all had commitments already. Or, at least, they said they did. In most cases, people react poorly to this request because everyone has their own worries and problems and likes to take Saturday as a day to rest, not for volunteer work. Little did he know, however, that people’s reactions would exceed even his wildest expectations…
Josh showed up at Leonard’s door, without any warning, on a Saturday and surprised him with the idea of fixing up the house. Thankfully, Leonard received him warmly. The elder even became emotional when he saw that Josh was willing to clean up his yard and paint his house: “I had forgotten that kindness exists in the world,” Leonard said in a later interview. However, it was not only the retiree who was in for a surprise that day…
Josh was in front of the house preparing to start scraping and painting the front wall. He had already accepted that he would have to do everything by himself, and was estimating how many weekends he would have to dedicate to restoring his new friend’s house. Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. It was a voice that he did not recognize.
Turning around, Josh saw two people looking like they were dressed for hard work. They said they had seen the plea for help on Facebook and decided to pitch in! Josh couldn’t have been happier and considered that simple post an absolute success! Yet, within minutes other people started showing up, some even bringing paint cans, garbage bags, and various tools.
Josh admitted that he stopped counting the volunteers after three dozen; he didn’t expect to see more than five people; however, by the end of the day, more than 95 strangers came to Leonard’s house to help. “I expected to find a few people, but so many showed up that I couldn’t even believe it,” Josh said. And some had even traveled from other parts of the country to take part. People from California and Texas joined them, even though they lived more than 1000 km away!
By the end, Josh spent most of the day assigning tasks to people. With so many volunteers and donated paint, they could paint inside and outside the home. Some skilled volunteers checked the plumbing and electricity, while others cleaned the yard and fixed the fence. There was so much noise and activity around the previously abandoned house that the neighbors couldn’t help but stare, trying to figure out what was going on…
And that was only the beginning. One person saw Josh’s posts and decided to contribute as a publicist. He invited journalists and several local reporters who covered the story about the railwayman’s good deed, drawing attention to the fact that many older people in the city also needed help. The media quickly turned Leonard and Josh into local celebrities. Josh would always say that he hadn’t done anything special: “I’m not a hero. I was just raised to respect the people who came before me and help others who don’t have much. I just did what anyone should have done in my place.” he said in an interview.
And it turned out that the neighbors who went to help were so caught up in the man’s story that, besides fixing the house and taking care of the yard, many of them went out of their way to contribute in other ways. For example, people who lived nearby decided to cook and distribute lunch and even a snack to all those who came to help Leonard. Other volunteers brought goodies and donations of all kinds to the older gentleman.
His home changed a lot in one day. His yard was clean, with a freshly cut lawn and a garden filled with flowers. The volunteers worked to replace the broken windows and front door. The emotions Leonard felt at the time were hard to describe. But it was true; after so many years, he no longer felt poor and alone; he felt himself finally smiling again. And that was enough for the volunteers to feel the importance of their contributions. Talking to the people and the press, he honestly admitted that if it wasn’t for Josh, he would have remained lonely for the rest of his life because the last thing he wanted to do was ask for help. “I’m sure my wife, wherever she is, is happy about all of this,” said the elderly man.
All that movement caught the attention of the neighboring couple, who had mocked the older man days ago. They stepped out of their house and watched from a distance. No one knows who exactly started it and how they found out about the couple, but suddenly people began booing; the boos quickly grew until the couple ran back into their house in embarrassment.
From that day on, news of what happened went around the city, brightening many people’s days. But, on the other hand, the disrespectful young couple found themselves completely isolated in their own neighborhood. The other street residents ignored them or gave them nasty looks when they passed.
Josh’s action reminds us that while you can’t help others avoid their problems, you can often make them feel good with a simple act of kindness or even just a few minutes of your attention…
